True Love

Last week a confused-looking man came into the library looking for books for his wife. Romance books. She doesn't want anything "dated" (published prior to 1990) and she's read through Nora Roberts (a small feat unto itself). She just sent this poor guy to get "more books" and didn't give him any authors to work with.

This is where I come in. My librarians don't really try with this sort of question anymore because "Hey, Wendy reads romance! Let's ask Wendy!" In all fairness I do this same thing. The minute a science fiction question comes in I run to the my children's librarian.

Well we were crazy nuts busy, and given the woman's love for La Nora, I walked through the shelves and pulled off books by other Big Names. Jayne Ann Krentz, Linda Howard - you get the idea.

Husband came back tonight. Wife liked those books but she wants "more romance" and *hushed whisper* "more sex." Bless this poor guy's heart. He must really love his wife. I bet he buys tampons for her too.

So we went to the paperback section and I pulled out several more contemporary romances. One of the authors? Shannon McKenna. That should fulfill the more sex requirement me thinks.

When Bad Covers Happen To Great Books

Seriously, look at that book cover. Now I know this is Dorchester's Leisure imprint and I really should be used to them slapping crappy covers on westerns - but this one really gets to me. Why? Because it's a really good book.

Does this cover say, "Hey baby, I'm a really good book" to you? No it doesn't. What it does say is "cheestastic." Worse still, it leads the casual browser to believe that it's a cheestastic Indian romance. The kind most romance readers stopped reading back in 1986. Hello? The hero is an Army major! Why the hell is he wearing buckskins? The heroine is a scarred former Kiowa captive! She does not go around wearing half of her clothing!

And honestly, the cover model's boobs are bigger than hers. She's not wearing a bra because he probably stole it from her.

Anyway - on with the book, which is Kate Lyon's second and really damn good. Yes Sybil - go out and buy it. You won't be sorry.

Caroline Whitley was a Kiowa captive. This was a very unpleasant experience complete with rape, torture, beatings - you know, all the fun stuff. Then one day she is rescued when a Cheyenne cheif named Little Wolf buys her. He takes her back to his people, she lives in his tipi, and his two wives nurse her back to health. For Caroline's protection he lets it be known that she is his third wife. Then the Cheyenne are rounded up and forced onto a reservation in Oklahoma. Little Wolf sends Caroline back to her people in Dodge City, Kansas.

Except Caroline's "people" treat her worse than a prostitute. She's Little Wolf's "squaw." She's lower than dirt. She was just asking for all that rape and torture. Then word gets out that the Cheyenne are dying by the hundreds on that squalid reservation. Little Wolf takes a band of his followers and makes a run for it - straight to their hunting grounds in Montana.

Zach McCallister is an Army major who returns home to discover his wife has run off with a drifter. She took his son, Luke, with her. Then Zach learns that Patricia and her lover are murdered by Indians and Luke is presumably taken captive. Evidence makes him believe it was the Cheyenne who did it, and now he's looking for a way to infiltrate Little Wolf's band in order to find Luke. Like manna from heaven, here comes Caroline, looking for a man who can help her take a wagon full of supplies (blankets, medicine, food) to the fleeing Cheyenne.

Zach and Caroline obviously have a lot to hide from each other, which is tough since they're sharing close quarters and the tension between them in sizzling. Zach has orders, plus he's looking for his son. He cannot let it be known that he's "the enemy" - a soldier. Caroline isn't really Little Wolf's wife, but making people believe that fiction does offer her a very slim amount of protection. Naturally her experiences have taught her to be very wary around men, and how to use a knife with efficiency.

What I loved so much about this story is that Lyon doesn't take the easy way out with the conflict. This is no "Indian Good, White Man Bad" clap trap. No, both sides have their flaws. It's all about actions and consequences. The Cheyenne do things they feel they must, which leads the US Army to do what they feel they must. There are no clear cut set of villains here, rather a large shade of gray. Much like real life.

Also, the history is really very good. Readers fed up with half-assed wallpaper stories won't find any of that here. Lyon likely threw herself into the research aspect. Little Wolf was a real Cheyenne cheif. No foolin'. Also, George Custer's own illegitmate Cheyenne son plays a healthy secondary role.

The romance is also very good. Zach is extremely attracted to Caroline, and it's easy to see why. She bares some horrible scars from her captivity, but she's got courage, strength and survivial instincts to spare. She's a remarkable woman to have survived it all, but she's also unsure of herself. She learned about sex as a violent act (repeatedly) and Zach must proceed with caution. By the time it's all said and done, these two can't help but fall in love.

For what it's worth, I highly recommend Hope's Captive. Two wounded characters caught up in history, and between two different worlds, makes this a great read. I just hope the god-ass awful cover doesn't leave this great story out in the cold. Don't miss it.

About Face

I'll admit it - I'm not above rubber necking. People who say they never look at the car accident as they drive by or stop to see the train wreck are dirty, dirty liars. Sorry, y'all are.

So it was with perverse glee that I saw this story on the Internet this morning. Yes, Oprah is doing an about face and is now saying she felt "dubbed" by James Frey's *ahem* memoir.

I think what they call this in public relation circles is saving face. Or maybe it's backpedalling. Whatever.

I'm obviously an awful, spiteful person for enjoying this particular train wreck, and I'm sure I'm going to be burning in hell for it. While I admire Oprah for what she has accomplished in her lifetime (self-made stories like hers are the American Dream), I never got her book club idea.

On the surface I guess it's a good thing that Oprah endorses books and attracts normally non-readers to reading. Then I stop and realize that this is exactly what is wrong with society today. If it takes a celebrity to get a person to read that doesn't say much about American society as a whole does it?

I have a theory that the vast majority of non-readers never are converted to full-time readers because of endorsements like Oprah's. They are told that Book A is the greatest, most moving story ever, and when they don't "get" it they feel somehow inferior. Even full-time readers are not immune to this guilt. Yes, I don't like Charles Dickens. There I said it! I'm a librarian who got a degree in British history and I don't like Charles Dickens!

I suddenly feel so free.

Those who aren't readers don't read because for years all the fun has been sucked out of the activity. We force students to read literature (cue snooty British accent here) in high school. Those who go on to college are forced to read more (I remember reading one book I enjoyed for one college course and that's it). So by the time we're out in the real world, taking care of spouses, taking care of kids, and working too damn much, the last thing we want to do is read. We've been taught that reading does not equal fun. So we turn on the TV and watch the latest insipid season of American Idol instead.

This spills over into the review scene as well. I'm a reviewer. I've endorsed books. I've panned books. But my name attached to my opinion does mean a whole lot to anybody. Who gives a flying fig what I think? All I do is offer an opinion. If a person can read my opinion and get something out of it, fine. Otherwise, feel free to ignore it and move on.

But Oprah has clout. A lot of it. And when she endorses anything from shampoo to books it means something to people. Frankly, it shouldn't - but that is the twisted nature of the cult of celebrity for you.

So my advice to library patrons has always been - Read What You Want. Reading should be fun. It shouldn't be a chore. Read what you want, not what somebody (anybody) tells you you should. And for God's sake don't apologize about it.

My Sister's Going To Kill Me

My older sister has been trying for years to get me to read The Stand by Stephen King. It's not that I don't trust her recommendation. No, it's because The Stand is frickin' long. Yes, Lori dear - I will read it one of these days. Promise. Maybe the next time I'm stuck in an airport.

Besides The Stand, I've never actually read anything by King - but I think I may have to remedy that by trying his lastest book, Cell. Here's the blurb that caught my eye:

From Publisher's Weekly:

What if a pulse sent out through cell phones turned every person using one of them into a zombie-like killing machine?

My knee jerk reaction was, "So, it's non-fiction and takes place in Southern California?"

Sometimes I think it should be illegal to be such a smart ass.

Sharing Is Caring

After what seemed like an eternity (OK, about 10 days), I finally finished My Favorite Witch by Annette Blair. My taking so long to finish would seem to suggest that I hated this book. Not the case. It was a light, fun, fluffy sort of read that had some nice bantering dialouge.

However.....

It was also one of those books that worked less if you started to analyze it. Let's see if I can explain.

Kira Fitzgerald is a white witch who has just discovered her fiance' in bed with her sister. Thank goodness she hadn't mailed out the wedding invitations yet. After that fiasco, she quickly lands a job as an assistant to the Director of Special Events for the Pickering Foundation - one of those lofty old money charity institutions that's now having a budget crunch.

Hew new boss is Jason Pickering Goddard - NHL goalie and the winner of the insipid reality show The Best Kisser In America. A car accident has screwed up his knee thus sidelined his career - so Jason gets roped into working at the family foundation by his dear old grandmother. There he comes face to face with the world's sexiest witch putting a hex on her cheating fiance's penis.

They banter, they flirt, they both have sworn off the opposite sex. Shenanigans ensue.

So where does the foundation start to crack? Well first off Jason is determined to get back to the NHL but the author never shows him working at it. If I'm to believe this book all you need to do to rehab a bad knee is teach hockey/skating to a bunch of half-pint orphan boys. Also, I understand why Kira has sworn off men, but never really grasp why Jason isn't knocking boots with the ladies. One presumes it's because a woman was driving his car the night of his accident that ruined his career - but it's never spelled out.

But ultimately I have issues with how Kira handles her sister. Basically she doesn't. Even when the fiance' and dear old sis appear in the last few chapters Kira doesn't say anything. No "Go blow yourself you skanky whore" or "I hope it shrivels up and falls off dick wad." No, Jason gets a few minor jabs in and that's about it.

This is the second book I've read in a month that features a heroine whose sister stole her man. Now, I love my sisters. I truly, truly do. But I like to think that if one of us stole the other one's man that they would be blood drawn. All out family feud. This probably makes me sound like a spiteful old hag - but hey, I think it's realistic. Even worse? Kira's parents welcome cheating fiance' and slutty sister into their home and Kira willingly spends Christmas with them because she's licking her wounds over something Jason does.

Call me crazy, but I'd be looking at spending Christmas in Cancun. That's just me though.

Making The Rate Increase More Tolerable

Yes, I changed my blog template. I was going for a calm blue ocean look - but I'm not sure how I feel about it now. Is it too bland?

And yes, I probably should invest in an original template - but I'm HTML clueless and I'm cheap as hell.

Here in the good ole' US of A we've been griping about yet another postage increase. To make it more palpable though they've issued some really cute stamps based on favorite animals in children's books. My favorites, Curious George and Wilbur are naturally represented. If I was crafty I'd think of a neato collage to make for the library.

But I'm not crafty, and again I'm cheap as hell.

Romancing The Blog And Mystery Book

My latest column is up over at Romancing The Blog. Darnit - I was gunning for a flame war and so far everyone is so dang chipper.

I got home from work last night to discover that I had gotten a book in the mail. Now, this is no strange occurence since I belong to a book trading list and I review - but this book was from the Oxygen Network. They sent me a copy of Kiss & Makeup by Alison Kent.

I have no clue why.

Not that I'm complaining. Still, it's got me slightly confused.

Reason #25 On Why I Should Move To England

One of my employees sent me this article on a UK study that says librarians suffer greater job stress firefighters and cops. Here's the part that left me slack-jawed:

Librarians complained about their physical environment, saying they were sick of being stuck between book shelves all day, as well as claiming their skills were not used and how little control they felt they had over the career.

That's why UK librarians are so stressed out?!?!

What a bunch of softies!

I would kill for my only job stress to be "stuck between book shelves all day." I could certainly live without the homeless sleeping/trashing library grounds, my building falling apart, the incredible shrinking operating budget, being the sole supplier to my romantic fiction collection, having the World's Most Embarrassing Audio Book collection, children who are dumped on library staff because parents won't hire day care, a general public who thrives on screaming at me because they lost $150 worth of library books and cannot understand why they've been sent to a collection agency, and the father who reamed out my staff this past weekend because we wouldn't let his son do court-forced volunteer hours for lighting a bathroom on fire.

Did I mention that we've recently become a dumping ground for old mattresses? I've had 3 in the last 2 weeks.

And I haven't even mentioned bureaucracy.

However I do understand how the UK librarians feel when they say they're "skills" are not being utilized. The skills I learned in library school certainly aren't being utilized. Then again, three quarters of what I deal with on my job I was never taught in library school.

I need to move to England. Seriously. Not only would I be able to get a decent pot of tea on demand, the "stress" of a new library career there would be a cake walk.

The Job Perks

Working with the general public is no walk in the park. However despite the often dismal pay and headaches, there is a big perk to working in a public library.

The killer amount of time off. When your post office is closed - so is your local library.

So in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, here's a neat-o news story I stumbled across this morning.

All I can add is "You go girl!" and "Good luck!"

Welcome Back

I haven't seen this stressed very much online, so I'm going to stress it here on my blog. It's a damn near amazing occurrence that an author not only has come back to historicals, but comes back with a western historical.

Frankly I think this is proof of a higher power in the universe.

Catherine Anderson's latest, Summer Breeze, heralds her return to historicals. Yes, the sub genre that made her a household name for romance readers. Anderson, like many, many, many of her peers eventually jumped ship for the seemingly more lucrative contemporary market - but now she's back. And if I'm to believe the information inside the front cover of this new book, it looks like she'll be following with more historicals as well as contemporaries.

Summer Breeze is a sequel of sorts of Keegan's Lady (an earlier western) and the author's contemporary Coulter family series. Normally this would sound off an alarm in my brain, "Danger, Danger Miss Wendy. Acute Series-itis! Danger, danger!" Not the case here. And I ain't lying. Keegan's Lady is still in my TBR, and I haven't read any of Anderson's contemporaries. So when I say this one stands alone, I mean it.

What readers will find here is trademark Anderson - a heroine with serious issues, a hero with commitment issues and external conflict that needs to be resolved.

Rachel Hollister was the only survivor when her family was murdered in an ambush while picnicking. When she woke up from her coma, she found herself with a killer case of agoraphobia. She cannot leave her house without passing out. Heck, just thinking about leaving the house almost causes her heart to explode. So Rachel literally barricades herself in the family kitchen, living in that one room with no natural light and no contact with the outside world save her trusted ranch hand.

Then that trusted ranch hand, Darby, gets shot in the back. He somehow makes it to the neighboring ranch and begs Joseph Paxton to protect Rachel. Even though the two incidents are 5 years apart, Darby is convinced him getting shot has everything to do with the murder of the Hollister family.

Joseph gives Darby his word, and Joseph never breaks his word. It all gets off to a rocky start though when Rachel damn near blows his head off with her sawed off shotgun.

I liked this book, a lot. However for the more cynical of readers, it will require some suspension of disbelief. For instance, Joseph realizes almost immediately that Rachel isn't really "crazy." No, she's just paralyzed by fear. Also, the word "agoraphobic" is thrown out once or twice, and I'm not real sure how "know-able" that term was back in 1889.

Ah, a quibble here, a quibble there.

But I liked this story, and believe me I looked for reasons not too. There's a lot here that couldn't have worked - namely the mystery and Rachel's disease. However, Anderson wraps up both nicely. Even with very few suspects, the author still kept me guessing and wraps up the "Who Murdered Rachel's Family And Why?" sub plot very well. I also liked the fact that while falling in love with Joseph certainly helps Rachel overcome her fears, that wasn't the only reason she was able to move on. Having answers and confronting her own clouded memories do more for her well-being than having incredible orgasms with Joseph could.

But the orgasms certainly don't hurt the cause either.

All in all a strong read. It'd rate this one around a B+.

Random Ramblings Of A Cluttered Mind

I cannot seem to think of a coherent one topic blog posting - so I'm going to cram a whole bunch of crap in to one post. Think of it as a glimpse inside of Wendy's mind. And if that doesn't scare the hell out of you - nothing will.

• I'm taking perverse pleasure in the fact that a non-fiction book that Oprah picked is now being dismissed as fraudulant. I know, I'm a naughty monkey.

• I cannot believe they're finally releasing The Da Vinci Code in paperback. Will wonders never cease?
  

• Marcus Vick has got to be the biggest dumb ass on the planet.

• Go Bears!
  

• I really need to get moving on my next Romancing The Blog column (due January 19).

• I'm sick of my blog template.

• I have no clue what to do with with my blog roll. Keep it? Dump it?
  

• I hope my IT guy shows today - I have a dead public computer.

• I'm enjoying Summer Breeze by Catherine Anderson, with one reservation, at the moment. Review to be posted on this blog later in the week - promise!
  

The Promised Rant

So I finished The Cat Who Dropped A Bombshell by Lilian Jackson Braun yesterday afternoon.

I have to say I found it to be a minor improvement over the last entry in the series. I mean, this book actually had a motive. Still, it's a dismal read - one I'd rank around a D- for fans of the series and an F for newcomers.

Where to start? Well how about the fact that there is no character or plot development to speak of. The "mystery" is a joke and the author kills off a semi-regular character in a car accident without a by-you-leave. This character will not be missed per se, but she was featured prominently in an earlier book in the series.

Unfortunately it's not Polly who dies. Sorry, I had to get that jab in there.

However reading this entry has finally helped me understand why I've hated the last several books so much. Pickax (the town where this series takes place) has taken on a creepy Stepford quality. Honestly. Who are these people? They're like Norman Rockwell on acid. Supposedly charming and folksy, but with an unbelieveably spooky streak. Frankly they're all starting to read like serial killers in training. "He seemed like such a nice fellow until he started murdering family members with a chainsaw."

I really need to stop reading this series. I really, really do. But I know come January 2007 I'll be checking out a library copy of The Cat Who Coughed Up A Hairball.

Drat nostalgia anyway.

So Where You Been?

I came back to work on Tuesday after being on vacation for too long. Seriously, the last two days I've been the walking dead when I finally made it home. To top it off, I've been without Internet at work for the last 2.5 days. Why? Apparently because of The Killer Virus From Hell that went rampaging through our network over the holidays. Naturally it only went rampaging through the network utilized by staff. Library patrons were totally unaffected. Our IT department finally was able to get us back in business this afternoon.

Thank God

In reading news, I'm trying something different to start this year off on the right foot. I'm calling it The Box. I pulled a cardboard box out of my closet and filled it with about 68 books that have been in my TBR for a while. Several hard covers, advanced reader copies, some Harlequins and some historicals. My goal? Read through the box. Then rinse and repeat.

This probably sounds like a stupid idea to some of you - but I think it's going to help me focus. It gives me a set goal. No pawing through the TBR mountain. Just go to The Box.

But what about reading mood swings you ask? I'm going to ignore them. If I can't get into any of The Box books after 50 pages or so, I'm chucking it to the trade/UBS pile. Life is short and I seriously need to get my TBR mountain under control.

In reading news, expect a rant in a day or so. I'm going to be reading the newest Lilian Jackson Braun "novel" The Cat Who Dropped A Bombsell. Lord help me.

I cut my mystery reading teeth on this series as a teenager, and the early books are quite good. If you enjoy cozies, I do recommend them. But the last several books have been god-ass awful. Fans have speculated for years if the series is now being ghostwritten. I contend that if they were ghostwritten they'd be better books! How bad has it gotten? The last book had barely a whisper of a mystery and no motive! Why did the bad guy do it? Who the hell knows!

So why do I keep reading? No idea. Seriously, I need therapy. I stopped buying my own copy about 8 books ago, but I keep reading a library copy. I've hated the last 3, but I still keep reading. I can only guess it's because nostalgia is getting the better of me.

2005: The Reading Year In Review

This is going to be a long, link-intensive post - so let's get to it. My reading goal for 2005 was to read 100 books. I met that goal, and then some, by completing 105. Here's a breakdown of the good, the bad and the ugly:

The Best Of The Best:
Prairie Wife by Cheryl St. John (2005)
To Dream Again by Laura Lee Guhrke (1995)
Fallen From Grace by Laura Leone (2003)
Carved In Stone by Vickie Taylor (2005)
Ex And The Single Girl by Lani Diane Rich (2005)

The Best In Guilty Pleasures:
The Tutor by Portia Da Costa (1994)
Honk If You Love Real Men - anthology (2005)

Honorable Mentions:
Sex, Murder and a Double Latte by Kyra Davis (2005)
Naked Truth by Amy J. Fetzer (2005)
Prairie Moon by Maggie Osborne (2002)
Old Boyfriends by Rexanne Becnel (2005)

Biggest Disappointments Or Books I Should Have Loved But Didn't:
Return to Me by Shannon McKenna (2004)
Awaken Me Darkly by Gena Showalter (2005)
The Texan's Reward by Jodi Thomas (2005)
Drive Me Crazy by Nancy Warren (2004)
The Charade by Laura Lee Guhrke (2000)

Stick A Fork In Me, I'm Done Or The Horror, The Horror!:
In Your Wildest Dreams by Toni Blake
Windwalker by Natasha Mostert
The Challenge by Susan Kearney
The Cat Who Went Bananas by Lilian Jackson Braun

Happy Flame War

The comments on this blog have been very quiet lately, which makes me think either people are bored by my ramblings, or just too busy with their own stuff.

So to ring in the New Year I thought I'd start a flame war! How? By admitting that I'm giving up on The Most Classic Romance Novel Of All-Time!

I'm talking about Flowers From The Storm by Laura Kinsale. I slogged my way to page 150 and have decided no more. It's not a bad book, but I'm sorry people, I'm just not getting the sheer majesty of it.

I'm completely indifferent after 150 pages. I'm bored. Check that - I'm really bloody bored.

I understand the hero's had a stroke or a brain aneurysm - but the total lack of dialogue is really starting to get to me. Also, I understand she's a Quaker - but I can only take so many "thee's" and "thou's" from the heroine before I start flashing back to all those horrible literary novels I was forced to read in school.

I think sticking through 150 pages is a fair assessment for a book that clocks in at 500 pages. My questions are: Am I not giving it enough time? Are there others out there who just didn't luv this book? Am I complete moron who is incapable of appreciating the fine, talented prose of Ms. Kinsale? And most importantly, how are her other books? I have The Shadow And The Star and My Sweet Folly still in the TBR. Admittedly, I just knocked them down the pile a few pegs.